Birth Control - Choosing a Birth Control Method

With so many methods
available and so many factors to consider, choosing
birth control can be difficult. You may be able to
decide on a method by asking yourself the following questions:

Might I want to have a biological child in the future?

One of your first considerations might be to determine whether you want
permanent or temporary birth control. In other words, you should consider
whether you want to conceive any (or more) children. This is a decision that
will affect the rest of your life and can be made only after thinking it
through carefully.

If you are not sure about the future even though you
know how you feel now, a temporary method is a better choice. If you are young,
have few or no children, are choosing sterilization because your partner wants
it, or think it will solve money or relationship problems, you may regret your
decision later.

How would an unplanned pregnancy affect my life?

If an unplanned pregnancy would seriously impact your plans for the
future, choose a birth control method that is highly effective. Or if you have
a stable relationship and income and plan to have children in the future
anyway, you may feel comfortable using a less reliable method.

How effective are different types of birth control?

Consider how important it is to you to avoid pregnancy, and then look at how well each birth control method works. Hormonal methods and IUDs work very well. Barrier methods such as condoms, diaphragms, and spermicides are only moderately effective. Fertility awareness is even less effective.

Be honest about how much effort you are willing to put into birth control. To be effective, birth control pills require you to take a pill every day. Barrier methods have to be used before sex. Fertility awareness requires that you watch your temperature and other signs closely. You must also avoid sex on days when you could get pregnant. If you are not willing to put in the effort, choose another method of birth control.

Consider how
comfortable you feel about using a particular method of birth control. If you
are not comfortable with or might not consistently use a birth control method
for any reason, that method is not likely to be reliable for you in the long
run.